Apparatus for measuring fluids



Oct. 6, 1931. R. N. EHRHART APPARATUS FOR MEASURING FLUIDS Filed Feb. 111925 and close atten'tionon the part of the opera;

' her offconditions'.

j i determination "enema Get. 6, 1931 A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEEIRAYMOND 1v; EHRHARTQ or EneEwoonrn-NnsYLvANm, ASSIGNOR T ELLIOTT com-I I PANY, or PITTSBURGH, PENINSYLVANIAVA CORPORATION or r arreite'rusFOR mast-mew FLUIDS ENNSYLVANIA Application filed February 11, 1925'. sm. 8,430.]

I The present invitation relates broadly to apparatusfor measuringfluids, and more particularly to apparatus of'this character in the formof'a meter, adapted for use in condensing systems or the like, for thepurpose of accurately determining the air leakage-,although thegutilityof the not limited in thisrespect.

1 To .maintain best performance requires accurate operation tors, theperformancedepending upon a numthc question of air leakage plays animpor-,

i151 "tant part, the efficiency of the system falling off rapidly as theair, leakage increases. It has he etofore been proposed inthe art towhich the present invention relates to provide means for continuouslydetermining the for thereby showing the amount of air leakage. Suchapparatus, however, has not been altogether satisfactory, for the reasonthat u-ndervarying conditions of pressure, the movable indicatingbodyhas oscillated in such manner as to make accurate reading or eo-imemberthere exists what'isknown' as the friction of rest, this friction beingmuch greater than the friction of motion. By reason of this friction ofrest,'when the rate of Q flow changes, the indicating part of the mechg3 ":inism is caused to lag behind, thereby inter- 'fering with anaccurate reading.

Further object-ions have also arisen from the 1 fact ,that .themeasuring apparatus heret-ofor'e used has constituted 4 ""for'th air.-With such an installation, in

, i the'event of failure. of the water supply to tlie.concl'enser,ttheapparatus has not been pable to efhc ientlypass the amountof steamdischarged front the ejiectioror pu'mp, there ,condenser'must'be takeninto consideration by resulting in an undesirable and objectionablebjack pressure. I I

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided air leakageindicating means which i. is preferably intermittently EJutiliZed'to'determine the conditions of oper-.

invention is r I I p j the "P'IOVISIOII of means of the character re-"surface condensers at. their" .mized, thereby enabling Among these vconditions,"

rate of dischargeofair from the condenser iextr'ernely difiicult. Alsopq where the. COIidlt-IQHSOf operation are such as not to causeoscillation of the indicating the main escape tor may know'flwhen theminimum ation, and which is supplemental to the usual atmosphericexhaust, whereby upon failure of the watersupply such means-will not becalled upon to handle all of the steam discharged by the ejector orother withdrawing means. 7

The inventionhas for other of its objects ferred to, so constructed thatoscillation, due to varying pressure conditions, are miniaccurate andeasy readingsto be taken at any desired moment.

to the after condenser,

In accordance with the present invention there is also preferablyprovided means for overcoming the friction of rest between themovable-or indicating member and. the stationary parts of the apparatus,thereby en-' ablingaccurate readings to be taken at any" t1me,irrespective of what changes in the condition' or rate of flow may takeplace.

In the accompanying drawings there is shown for purposes of illustrationonly a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the method ofutilizing the same, it beingunderstood that the drawings do not definethe limits of'my invention as changes may be made in the constructionand opera tion therein disclosed, without departing either, from thespirit of scope of my'broader claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a View and partly partly in side elevation broken away,illustrating one form of air meter embodying the present invention; andc Figure 2 is a side elevational View largely the invention or the V sodiagrammatic, illustrating one method of stalling the meter.

In the operation of condensers, it is desirable to provide means wherebyan operaallowed is being exceeded; vide efiiciently operating meansforth-is purleakage" In order to pro pose, normal conditions ofoperation of the manner that these conwill not be impaired in I Qvwardly projecting;

the form of ahollow cylinder having'one or 21L are preferred,

I arm 4 in cor-operative relation tothe inlet a 5 of a-valve' 5, theoutlet of which co-operates I with a ineterb. VVi th this-construction,by opening the valve 5 and V valve L5, thisbase being formed with anupguide 10, preferably in 15 more" laterally extending "openings '11.These" opening'sill inay conveniently be in theform of slots, althoughitwill be apparent that closely adjacent openings "may beutilized-for'the' same purpose e The slots however, due'to' tl e factthat th eymay be formed of constant, widths,

- thereby providing discharge areas directly;

increas ngiin: predetermined manner as they are'uncovered. v

* a -;-S 1 y mo se-oh. tea-11a '1 s 1 or-piston 12, havingacloselitiwiththe guide 7 and adapted tofnormally slide downwardly- I the! influenceof gravity The bell l2 isforinedgwith closed outer 9;. end, while theguide 10, I

small o pening 13 [through which! pressure *is-iransmitted to theinterior of the bell for raisingthes'am tojuncover the opening or eopenings 11; I With thisconstruction,the inthei eover j under kiteriorof the: bell-is subjected to the pressure I e which exists in theconduit I I I I ,On account of the consta t weight of the V bell,faconstant;back: ressiire of minute volume is imposed on thec'onduit 2.Withthis 7 %construction, as tlieiamount of air varies in the conduit,the bellwwill rise or fall, covering or uncovering a proportionateamountof the 7 open ng or openings ba k pressure I I mounted on a support 115and empirically graduated inany; desired manner. Convenieii'tly,'theamma-nuns maybei'read directly- I II I feetofair discharged, per minute,5 thee ad ustability of the scale enabling lacv;

curate flpositio ing thereof. .5 Thebell 12 :may fbe'fformed with? a fla red portion. 16', con- 7 stituting i'a ,peri hera-llyj'extendingpointer-m member; substantially meanteu; f- I adapted' to co-operate'withithe,scale;

-,'1 h e present meter possesses inherent V6 g l ov'einentand thereby;facilitate f readings;

I I I closing the valve T i. the meter may be brought into operationto'. I v I enable the desired readings to be taken; I" The."meterfipreferably comprisesa base 9, adapted to directly coo-operatewith the flange of the [The bell 12 is also preferably a knurled portion17 adaptedto'be grasped between the fingers so that vthe bell may bespun or rotated about. its vertical axis. By

fie-"provided, with a -'111g an exhaust with said port .11.. Inasmuch asthe} a I 'fposed by'the weight ofthef bell is constant, the openingloropenings 11 7 her is adapted to I var ations ii air pressure, said(chamber servably mounted upon said Ordinarily with an exact balancebetween i reason of the air caught between'tlie bell and the upper endof' the guide 10, thereby chamber within the flOBll 12 above the guide10 serving exactly as a dashpot'.

preventing the: bell from rapidly changing itspositionj: with respect totlie' guide, the

formed with i such spinningoperation theiriction of rest is entirelyovercome at" the'emo'nient offtak f readings5jtl1ereby causing the bellto;

pointer. 16, thee position {at which the bell rests doesnot effect thereadingot the meter.

' Certain advantages ofthepresent inven structed n such inanne'r' 'tliatthere is an efsuring accuracy overcoming friction of rest. Still otheradvantages of the invention arise from the adjustabilit'y of theindicating scale, whereby difl'erent adjustments may be madeior,diiierent installations, as required, i i Iclaimy 1 1 A fluid metercomprising a; guide have port, and a bell co-ooperating and adaptedtocover and uncojv r thesame', there being a restrictedcommove acuratelyunder variations oi:' air ;flow. I By reasonof the perpherallyextending-v I fi'cient dampening of vibration or fluctuation Iproduced by variations in flu d measure, as, well as fro ntlieprovision. of means Vfor'inmuiiicationbetween the interior ofsaid guideand the. interior-( f said bell'forming a dashpot intermediate theguide;andthe bell, substantially as described.

QQA n lair leakagefm'ter, comprising a I guide member having an opening,a membercarried byesa d glllClemGIl'lbBIffiIld cooperatin'gwith saidopening, tlierebeing a restricted communication between the interior; ofsaid member and the source of 'air pressure, said I 'nieinber having aChamber which communicates with the source of pressure through saidrestricted communicat on so. that sa d membemovable in response to ingas; dashpot to stabilize said niember,

and indicating :means cooperating: with said lingtheflo-w throughsaidport, said opening i permitting a predetermined mini-mum flowto theinterioriof said b'eu a actuate the bell andft'orm a dashpot therein,substantially as ing an exhaust described.

4, 'A fluid meter comprising a guide havport' and an opening, and a bellcooperating with said opening and adapted to cover and uncover saidport, said guide I 'and bell forming ajdashpot for smoothing theoperation of said bell, substantially as described.

5. An air leakage meterc omprising a member movable in response tovariations in air pressure, a guide Within said member having adischarge opening uncovered by the, movementof said member andindicating means cooperating with said member, said member forming anairchamber serving With said guide to form afdashpot' to stabilize saidmember and having'a restricted communication with the source of airpressure serving as both an inlet and outlet, substantially as 7described.

1 tion between the interior 6. A fluid meter comprising a guide havingan exhaust port, a bell cooperating with said port and adaptedto coverand uncover the same, there being a restricted communicathe interior ofsaidbell forming a dashpot 5 opening in its outer slidably mounted .011said guide for ling the flow through said port, said opening permittinga predetermined flow to the interior of said bell to actuate the belland formintermediate the guide and bell, and means on saidbellfacilitating the manual spinning mitting a flow to the interior of saidbell to actuate the bell and form a dashpot therein, and meansfacilitating the vmanual spinning of said bell, substantially asdescribed.

' 8. fluid meter comprising a guide having an exhaust port and anopenmg,a bell cooperating with saidopening and adapted to cover and-uncoversaid exhaust port, said guide and bell forming a dashpot for smoothmgthe operation of said bell, and means iacilitating the manualspinning atWill of said bell, substantially as described.

9. A fluid meter comprising an elongated guide having an exhaust portandhaving a restrictedopening in one extremity, a bell controlof said guideand mediate the guide described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set hand.

ing a dashpot therein, and a scale cooperat-l ing with said bell. v

10. A fluid meter comprisinga guide having an exhaust port, and a bellcooperating with said port and adapted to cover and un- I cover thesame, there being a restricted pressaid guide sure communication betweenthe interior of interior of said bell forming a dashpot interand theinterior of said bell, the

and bell, substantially as RAYMOND N. EHRHART.

